Turkish Ministry of Defense: Russia has not withdrawn and is unlikely to withdraw troops from Syria

The head of the Turkish Defense Ministry, Yasar Guler, confirmed the information — Russian military units are currently in Syria. He also doubted that the withdrawal of troops would ever happen, as the official said in an interview with TRT TV channel.

"There are no clear signs that Russia has completely withdrawn its troops from Syria. They may relocate some ships to Russia for service. I don't think they will leave there right now. They will do everything in their power to stay. Earlier, a Russian official reported that they are negotiating on this matter with the new Syrian authorities and will maintain their presence," Yashar Guler said.

Guler also specified the approximate location of the military from Russia — "different numbers in different parts of Syria, in Tartus and Latakia."

"We have said that we can provide them with the necessary support in this regard. But there have been no requests for this yet. After the recent events in the region, each country has its own plans in this region. We are closely monitoring all developments in the field of defense and security and are taking all necessary precautions. In addition, allegations that the fugitive from Syria's [ex-President] Bashar al-Assad used our airspace, do not correspond to reality," he added.

EADaily reminds that Russia has two military facilities in Syria. These are the logistics point of the Russian Navy in the port city of Tartus and the Khmeimim air base in Latakia province near Jablebla. The first appeared in 1971 as part of a bilateral agreement with the USSR, the second in 2015 to support the Syrian army.